Changes to Shropshire health services approved
A £35 million plan to secure sustainable hospital services and provide new state-of-the-art facilities for the people of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales has been given the go-ahead.
The plan, which includes building a new £28 million Women and Children’s Unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, will see the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital become the main centre for inpatient acute surgery in the county.
The Trust’s Full Business Case, a detailed plan outlining how it will reconfigure its hospital services, was reviewed and approved by the Board of the regional health authority, NHS Midlands and East, at its meeting in Cambridge. The approval follows a local review and scrutiny from the Trust, Primary Care Trust Cluster, Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and GPs in Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Planned to open in summer 2014, the new Women and Children’s Unit in Telford will be for children who need to stay in hospital overnight and will include a children’s outpatient department, children’s assessment unit and a new children’s cancer and haematology unit. It will also be for women who need a consultant-led delivery and gynaecology patients who require an overnight stay.
Work will also begin on transferring head and neck inpatient services to PRH later this year so it can be based alongside the new Women and Children’s Unit when it opens.
The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital becomes the main centre for inpatient acute surgery in the county this summer.
Adam Cairns, Chief Executive at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive final approval for our plans, as this means we will be able to offer high quality, safe and sustainable services to our patients and families for years to come. This includes the development of a state-of-the-art £28 million Women and Children’s Unit in Telford, and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital becoming a designated Trauma Unit and centre for AAA screening thanks to acute surgery being centralised there. We will ensure that the majority of our services, including outpatient and day case appointments, will continue to be provided at both our hospitals.
“This decision represents an important milestone. It doesn’t, however, change our approach to carrying out this work. We will continue to work with the communities we serve, look at the issues that have been raised, and together shape the future of health services for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales.”
Vicky Morris, Chief Nurse and Director of Quality and Safety at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “The Full Business Case represents a very robust solution to keep high quality and safe services for our patients in our hospitals for the future. Local health services face significant risks that if not addressed will lead to those services declining, and in some cases moving out of the county. Doing nothing about this is not an option.
“Our number one priority is putting patients first and our plans have been designed with this in mind. We would like to thank our doctors, nurses, patients and families for their continued involvement in developing these plans, which we are confident will benefit thousands of patients, carers and families across our communities. We have undertaken very detailed risk assessments and are confident that we have developed the best options available to us so that we can continue delivering high quality, safe services to the people of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales.
